Rescuers search for missing after landslide kills 32

Rescuers searching for 76 people missing after a landslide in Indonesia deployed bulldozers and excavators on Sunday to battle their way through roads strewn with debris to the site of the disaster, officials said.

At least 32 people have been confirmed dead after torrential downpours triggered the landslide that hit Jemblung, a village in central Java, late on Friday, National Disaster Management Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.

Hundreds of rescuers were digging through the mud with shovels and bare hands in a desperate hunt for survivors.

"I am very worried," said an emotional Sutinem. Twelve of her family members, including her children, were buried.

The 45-year-old, who, like many Indonesians goes by only one name, said that so far only the body of her mother had been found. Sutinem was not at the village when the landslide hit but was working in western Java.

"I was shocked to see that my village was flattened to the ground. ... I pray that the government will find them quickly," she said.

"We are trying our best to look for those still buried. It's a big challenge because we are still using manual tools and the affected area is very muddy," military official Edi Rahmatullah said.

Provincial search and rescue agency chief Agus Haryono said rescue efforts have been slow because the ground was still unstable.

"The affected area is a large valley surrounded by hills. The soil is loose and muddy, so we have to be very careful when digging to prevent more landslides," he said, adding that sniffer dogs were being deployed to detect bodies.

"The chances of finding anyone alive at this point is slim, but who knows? We just hope and pray that we can find survivors," he said.

Piles of debris

Authorities were using heavy equipment to clear a 3-meter-high pile of fallen trees and rubble on the main road leading to the site of the disaster.

"Today the search for survivors will be carried out using heavy excavation equipment. The landslide has blocked road access since yesterday," Nugroho said. "Part of the road has now been cleared."

Around 1,250 rescuers, including police, soldiers and volunteers were involved in the search.

Fifteen people were injured, including 11 seriously, and 577 people were evacuated to temporary shelters, Nugroho said.

"Many were injured from being hit by debris and are being treated at a hospital," he said, adding that survivors were in need of food, blankets and medicines.

AFP - AP

(China Daily 12/15/2014 page11)